VIDEO: Officials held another media briefing as they entered the 60th continuous hour of the Weaver Fertilizer Fire.
According to officials, a passerby was the first person to call in the fire. Then a flood of dozens of calls followed that minutes later. The evacuation recommendation remained in place as of Thursday morning. Even with the overnight rain, they still call it an active fire with the potential to explode. Wake Forest University has canceled classes for the remainder of the week. People are still strongly discouraged from staying in the area within a one-mile radius of the plant.
Battalion Chief Patrick Grubbs said that the rain expected Thursday and Friday will help fight the fire. Smoke is still an issue across a large swath of Winston-Salem.
